Thursday, July 28, 2011

Here are a couple of BIG detail shots of the cover illustration I did recently for THE PITCH, along with the full version with and without text. The issue is about the upcoming outdoor music festivals at the Kansas City Speedway - "Kanrocksas" featuring Eminem and "FarmAid" featuring Neil Young and Willie Nelson. Check it out the article here http://www.pitch.com If you live in the Kansas City area though, pick on up a copy, on stands as of yesterday.

The final piece is printing 10x11" - so big! - I can't wait to see it in my hands. Hopefully they'll ship me those copies soon - I had a blast doing this, despite the quick deadline and ambitious elements, felt like I had it tracked all the way. The AD was really cool. I heard it's getting a really great response, hope it leads to more covers, for The Pitch and beyond...

The final version I worked on had about 76 layers in Photoshop, was 450 DPI and took up about a whole GB of memory. Was worth very bit. Below is a screen grab of the folder that housed all my files, drafts and reference.

Monday, July 11, 2011

A couple of months ago, I was contacted about being part of this very intriguing project for the UK rock-n-rollers, ART BRUT.

The band had a new album out now called BRILLIANT! TRAGIC! &, being fans of comics, they've also released a companion comic book about the songs. How cool is that?!

Album cover by artist Jamie McKelvieEddie Argos, singer of the band, offered his thoughts on initiating and the results of the multi-talented project:

When we first had the idea of creating an Art Brut comic, I compiled a list of all my favorite artists and then handed the list to our manager (as I am far too shy to approach those people). I thought only one or two would say yes. I was completely blown away when they all did and then flattered they would take the time to create something for us. As I had chosen all my favorite artists and writers for the project I was expecting to be blown away by every new submission, it went beyond even that though. I love what has been created and I recommend that you go out and collect everything by everyone who has contributed to this comic."

I agree! You should collect everything I put out.

But seriously, what was also so cool about this job was that there were no creative restrictions. No thumbnails, no sketches, no suggestions or guidelines. They said to do whatever I wanted, that they trusted me. I really appreciated that.

Now what's really amazing is the talent, besides my humble skills, that they've collected to do this. TOP NOTCH. Here's the rundown of the album's tracks and the associated artist

1. Clever Clever Jazz by Bryan Lee O'Malley (Scott Pilgrim)

2. Lost Weekend by Hope Larson

3. Bad Comedian by Jeffrey Lewis

4. Sexy Sometimes by Jeffrey Brown

5. Is Dog Eared by Chris Haley

6. Martin Kemp Five A-Side Football Rules by Mr. Solo

7. Axl Rose by Akira the Don

8. I am a Psychic by Jamie McKelvie

9. Ice Hockey by Sian Superman

10. Sealand by Patrick McQuade

plus bonus strips by Jamie S. Rich & Marc Ellerby, and Jeff Lemire

- Here's the official press release -

"In glorious celebration of the imminent release of Art Brut’s ‘Brilliant! Tragic!’, a rag tag group of comic book magicians have come together for an exclusive project. Each one of the shining ten album tracks has been given to ten artists to interpret as they see fit. The result? Comic book masterwork."

I have to agree, it is a MASTERWORK.

I chose to do the closing track on the album called SEALAND. It's kind of an odd track for them, slower in tempo, something different, and very beautiful. When I heard it, I kinda fell in loved with it, have a listen for yourself below.

Lyrics

"On a clear day they will see us from the beachesBut their jurisdiction will never reach usYou and me, we'll be high societyI'll raise the flag, you print the money

You and me, a principalityHand in hand in the sealandYou and me, a principalityHand in hand on the sealand

People in love, fly around and get fatI think I'm okay with thatOn our Coat of Arms, oh say, from the sea freedomOther people, we don't need them

Speed boats and helicoptersWell, let's let them circle us

You and me, a principalityHand in hand on the sealandYou and me, a principalityHand in hand on the sealand"

So, without further ado, here's my artistic interpretation of the song.

And there you have it, hope you found it delightful.

What's crazy is that I found out after doing this that Sealand is an actual place off the coast of England. Looks like a oil rig, built in the 1940s to shoot down the Nazi airplanes during WW2. Some guy bought it in the 60s and now it's officially it's own country! or something like that, Check out the links and pics below.

Friday, July 1, 2011

Working on a massive amount of new paintings this summer. Refocusing on the fantasy/monster/childrens book genre - weird shit. Really excited. Here's a glimpse at one of em. Those torches & lights in the distant represent an approaching army. Whether or not it's friendly has yet to be determined... Based on a sketch below I did in 2004, crazy!